Manufacture of linoleum floor-cloth.



No. 685,520. Patented Oct. 29, mm.

n. N. MELVIN.

MANUFACTURE OF LINOLEUM FLOOR CLOTH.

(Application filed Aug. 3, 1901.)

WITNESSES: r 1? INVENTOR J flawed WelZroaflelyZ/z/ M I BY I S- ATTORNEYS UNTTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE;

DAVID NEILSON MELVIN, OF LINOLEUMVILLE, NEW YORK,

MANUFACTURE OF LINOLEUM FLOOR-CLOTH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 685,520, dated October29, 1901.

Application filed August 3,1901. Serial No. 70,743. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID NEILsoN MEL VIN, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and a resident of Linoleumville, in the county ofRichmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Manufacture of Linoleum Floor- Cloth, of whichthefollowing is a specifica tion.

The invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of linoleumfloor-cloth, and pertains more especially to improvements in themanufacture of the character of inlaid linoleum floor-cloth made thesubject of Letters Patent No. 412,279, granted tome on October 8, 1889,in accordance with which patent blocks or tesserze cut from sheets ofdifferent colors are arranged and secured upon a fabric or foundation toproduce mosaic patterns.

The object of thepresent invention is pref erably to produce inlaidlinoleum floor-cloth comprising a canvas or other foundation andsuperposed blocks, pieces, or tesserae of linoleum composition whichshall imitate in a more perfect degree than has heretofore been possiblewood, marble, onyx, and the like, the floor-cloth made according to myinvention representing parquet and marble flooring and the like, thetesserre distinctly delineating the graining or layers of the wood andthe veining, layers, or lines of the marble and onyx.

In accordance with the process of manufacture described in the aforesaidLetters Patent No. 412,279 sheets of linoleum composition variouslycolored were rolled, and from these differently-colored sheets theblocks or tesserae were cut and then arranged in ap- 40 propriate orderupon the canvas back or cloth and cut the tesserze from these sheetsandapply them to the canvas or other backing by heat and pressure in theusual or any the elongated graining, layers, or veining of wood, marble,onyx, and'the like-and this new article of manufacture is produced by anovelprocess, my invention therefore including both the process ofmanufacture and the product of such process.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate somewhat diagrammatically, butas accurately as can be done by the pen, several specimens of inlaidlinoleum floor-cloth produced in accordance with and embodying myinvention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a piece of inlaid linoleum floor-clothrepresenting onepattern in imitation of pieces of inlaid wood; Fig. 2, alike view of a piece of inlaid linoleum floorcloth representing anotherpattern in imitation of pieces of inlaid wood; Fig. 3, a like view,partly broken away to disclose the foundation fabric, of a piece ofinlaid linoleum floor-cloth made in imitation of marble; and Fig. 4, alongitudinal section on the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A designates the pieces, blocks, or tesserze oflinoleum composition, and B the burlap, canvas, or foundation upon whichthe tesserze are secured by heat and pressure in accordance with knownmethods, the lower surface of the tesserze adhering to the foundationand the adjoining edges of the tesserae coalescing to produce ahomogeneous fabric or floor-covering.

In carrying out my invention I first prepare the composition for theproduction of the sheets from which the pieces, blocks, or tesserae areto be cut, and in this preliminary stage of the process it is necessaryfirst to determine the proper colors which are to be contained in thedifierent pieces, blocks, or tesserae intended to compose the finishedpattern, it being necessary that said pieces, blocks, or tesserze shoulddiffer in their, general color, so as to be distinguishable from oneanother and present contrasting effects in the floor-covering inaccordance with the taste of the manufacturer and the particular natureof the product desired. Having determined upon the colors desired forthe pieces, blocks, or tesserae, the sheets are prepared from linoleumcomposition possessing said colors, and this composition is formed bymixing together two or more separate quantities of granulated linoleumcomposition, each quantity or batch possessing an independent color andthe granulated matter being thoroughly mixed, so that there may be asubstantially even distribution of one color with the other color. Thegranulated composition thus prepared by mixing is of usual character,and several processes are well known, both for the production of thegranulated linoleum and for the mixing of the same, the mixingconsisting simplyin intermingling granulated composition of one colorwith granulated composition of a different or contrasting color. Thegranulated composition having been thus prepared in two or more colorsis submitted to rollers by which the composition is rolled into sheets,the sheets when formed being primarily somewhat thicker than the sheetsrequired for the finished linoleum product and being interspersed withthe different colors which were present in the granulated composition.The sheets of linoleum composition thus formed are then rerolled one ormore times, so as to reduce their thickness to the proper extent and toaccomplish the further important object of elongating thevariously-colored portions of the sheet presented by the granules orpieces of the composition, so that such portions may be extended to formthe graining or vcining of the wood, marble, onyx, or the like tobeimitated, the rerolling of the sheet as primarily formed being done asoften as necessary for the production of the particular extent ofelongation of the granules or colorsections desired in accordance withthe particular variety of wood or stone it is desired to represent. Thesheet of linoleum composition having thus been formed and rolled down tothe proper extent for use on the canvas or other foundation and inaccordance with the length of the veins or graining desired is ready tobe reduced into the blocks, pieces, or tesserze for application to thecanvas or other foundation, and this red notion will be performed in thecustomary way or in any suitable manner, the sheets then not beingmaterially different (with the exception of the coloring) from thesheets referred to in the aforesaid Letters Patent No. 412,279 and theirapplication to the canvas or foundation being performed in the mannerdisclosed in the said patent or in any other suitable way. It will benecessary, of course, in the production of patterns for the canvas orother foundation that the pieces, blocks, or tesserze shall possesscontrasting colors, and for this reason the rolled sheets for a patternwill differ from one another, all of the sheets being formed ofgranulated linoleum of mixed colors, but each sheet differing in itscolors from the composition of the other sheets,this being the casewhere, for instance, in the imitation of parquetry, such as representedin Figs. 1 and 2, all of the pieces, blocks, or tesserm possess theelongated graining or veining in imitation of wood. When, however, amarble pattern is to be produced, the pieces, blocks, or tcsserze cutfrom the grannlated sheet possessing the vcining orgraining will beutilized in conjunction with plain uniformly-colored pieces, blocks, ortesserae, such as those designated by the letter O in Fig. 3, cut fromplain sheets of linoleum composition of the character described in theaforesaid Letters Patent No. 412,279, it being desirable in theformation of patterns such as disclosed in Fig. 3 to employ the plain orunicolored pieces 0 alternately with the pieces A possessing thegraining or vcining.

The process hereinbefore described is particularly applicable to theproduction of wood imitations, such as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, inwhich the vcining or graining runs substantially in line with the lengthof the sheets and of the pieces, blocks, or tesserte cut therefrom, thislongitudinal elongation of the different granular portions of thecomposition being effected by rolling the composition or the sheetsformed therefrom always in one direction, whereby the said coloredportions or granules of the composition are pulled lengthwise of thesheet and elongated to the extent desired in accordance with theparticular variety of wood effect to be produced.

The invention is also admirably adapted to the production of marbleeffects, and in carrying out the process for producing representationsof marble, onyx, and the like I prepare the linoleum sheets in themanner 1 above described, but roll the sheets in both a longitudinaldirection to elongate the colored granules and form the veins and alsoin a transverse direction, so as to disturb the elongated graining orlayers to some extent and spread the same laterally, whereby thegraining or veining is given an irregular effect in imitation of marble,onyx, and the like instead of the longitudinal-grained effect of wood.In prod ucing the sheets in imitation of marble, onyx, and the like thepreferred method of rolling is to pass the sheets several times betweenthe rollers and alternately rolling the sheets in the two directions,longitudinal and transverse, this preventing the obtaining of thewood-graining effect and securing a product in close imitation ofmarble, onyx, and the like. After the sheets have been rolled to produceimitations of marble, onyx, and the like they will be cut into pieces,blocks, or tesserze and applied to the canvas or other foundation in themanner described in the aforesaid Letters Patent No. 412,279 and asindicated in Fig. 3 or in any other suitable manner. The rollers betweenWhich the granulated composition is passed for the production of thesheets from IIO .and skill of the manufacturer and the special imitationdesired by passing the composition or the sheets produced therefrombetween rollers running at different surface speeds, whereby, forinstance, the character of the graining or veining will be modified inaccordance with the nature of the rollers and the speed at which theyare run; but I prefer in the practical manufacture of the goods tofollow the process which involves the passing of the composition betweenthe usual rollers running at the same rate of speed, since verybeautiful effects may be produced thereby and the natural appearance ofwood, marble, onyx, and the like imitated to a high degree ofperfection. The rolling of the sheets results in the differently-coloredgranules or portions of the composition being stretched or pulledlengthwise of the sheet when the sheets are rolled in one direction onlyand both lengthwise and crosswise of the sheet when the sheets arerolled in both directions, longitudinal and transverse, and not in theflattening merely of the granules or colored sections, and the rollingand stretching or elongation of the granules or colored sections orportions of the sheet create a desirable and highly-attractiveintermingling of said col ored portions and result in the production ofa thoroughly homogeneous sheet.

I am aware that heretofore granulated linoleum composition of difierentcolors has been mixed and applied to a canvas back by pressure; but inthis practice as heretofore carried on the compositionin granular formhas been pressed by plungers through dies or forms directly upon thecanvas, the dies or forms defining the patterns to be produced. Thispractice has, however, resulted merely in producing limited effects andis incapable of being utilized in the production of the floor-coveringembracing my invention,which comprises the rolling of the granulatedcomposition into sheets of the proper texture and the formation of theveining or graining by means of the rollers, after which the pieces,blocks, or tesserae are cut from these sheets and applied by heat andpressure to the burlap, canvas, or other foundation, so that the lowersurfaces of the pieces, blocks, or tesserae shall adhere to thefoundation and the adjoining edges of the tesserze coalesce. Inaccordance with my invention I therefore produce rolled sheetspossessing the graining or veining of proper texture, character, andcondition for application to the foundation and from these sheets cutthe pieces, blocks, or tesserae which are to form the pattern and besecured to the foundation by means of heat and pressure.

I have described above the best method known to me for the production ofthe floorcovering embodying my invention; but I do not limit myinvention in every respect to the exact method described hereinbefore,since doubtless said method may be modified, varied, or extended inaccordance with the will and facilities of the manufacturer and thparticular effects to be produced.

By the term granulated linoleum composition as employed herein I meanlinoleum composition reduced to or in small piecessuch, for instance, asmay be produced by whatis known in this art as a .scratcher.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The process of manufacturing inlaid linoleum floor-cloth, consistingin mixing together granulated linoleum compositions of two or morecolors, rolling the composition thus formed into sheets and elongating,in the direction of the rolling, the colored granules or portions,cutting from the sheets thus I formed the pieces,- blocks or tesserae,arranging the same on a back or foundation, and securing them to suchfoundation.

2. The process described for making inlaid linoleum floor-cloth, whichconsists in mixing together granulated linoleum composition of two ormore colors, forming this mixed composition into asheet of greaterthickness than that required for the finished product, rolling thissheet to a reduced thickness and to extend the colored granules orportions of the composition in the direction of the rolling, and finallycutting the tesserae from the sheet thus prepared and applying them inthe form of a pattern upon the foundation and there securing them.

3. The process described for makinginlaid linoleum floor-cloth, whichconsists in mixing together granulated linoleum composition of two ormore colors, rolling this composition into a sheet of the requiredthickness, the rolling being .done both longitudinally and transverselyof the sheet to extend the colors of the composition both longitudinallyand transversely, and finally cutting the tesserze from the sheet thusprepared and applying them in the form of a pattern to the foundationand there securing them.

4. The process described for making inlaid linoleum floor-cloth, whichconsists in mixing together granulated linoleum composition of two ormore colors, rolling this composition into a sheet of the requiredthickness, the rolling being done lengthwise and crosswise of the sheetalternately to extend the colors of the composition both longitudinallyand transversely, and finally cutting the tesserze from the sheet thusprepared and applying them in the form of a pattern to the foundationand there securing them.

5. The process described for making inlaid linoleum floor-cloth, whichconsists in mixing together granulated linoleum composition of two ormore colors, rolling this composition into a sheet of the requiredthickness, the rolling being done lengthwise and crosswise of the sheetand the repeated rollings being always in the same direction as thepreceding rollings, and finally cutting the tesserse from the sheet thusprepared and applying them in the form of a pattern to the foundationand there securing them.

6. The process described for making inlaid linoleum floor-cloth inimitation of wood or parquet work, which consists in preparinggranulated linoleum compositions in the colors required, mixing togethertwo or more of these colored compositions, rolling this mixedcomposition into a sheet of the required thickness and at the same timeelongating the colors of the composition to indicate wood, and finallycutting the tesserze from the sheet thus prepared and applying them inthe form of a ness and at the same time elongating the colors of thecomposition, and aflixing this rolled sheet to the foundation fabric;substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. As a new article of manufacture, linoleum floor-cloth consisting ofthe foundation fabric and the rolled pieces, blocks or tesserze thereonarranged to form a pattern and consisting throughout of intermingleddifferently-colored small portions or granules of linoleum compositionrolled together and irregularly elongated, substantially as described.

9. As a new article of manufacture, linoleum floor-cloth consisting ofthe foundation fabric and the rolled pieces, blocks or tesserze thereonarranged to form a pattern and some of which are plain throughout whileothers consist throughout of intermingled diiferently-colored smallportions or granules of linoleum composition rolled together andirregularly elongated, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 2d day of August, A. D. 1901.

DAVID NEILSON MELVIN.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. O. GILL, GUNDER GUNDERsoN.

